Session 1 - New Birth

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Hello, ...delighted to meet you! Quite possibly, you are considering it a tragic meeting, taking place under less than desirable consequences—a meeting induced by an escalating global crisis. After all, you would not be here studying with us if circumstances did not compel you to, since admittedly, this is why we are here.

However, we will see that the situation is actually a cause for joy and not a state of crisis, and that we are not here because of problems, but are rather at the onset of a new life—joyous and delightful.

But to see it, we must understand what is happening to us as a collective, and what is happening to each of us as individuals, as well as why it is happening. Is the current situation a result of past mistakes, or is there some general tendency, a comprehensive law being implied? Perhaps it is an inevitable process that we must experience and only then obtain the benefit, yet, we cannot seem to finally go through it.

In truth, the term "crisis" is not a negative one. Indeed, it is how we define the current situation as a whole: a global, integral crisis, an economic crisis, a crisis in education, in science, or actually, crises in every realm of human engagement. Yet, the term "crisis" simply denotes change, a turning point, a point of decision.

We know from experience that we tend to feel complacent and remain in a position with which we are familiar. It is hard for us to leave a job or decide on anything new in life. Habit takes the tone, and habits - we all know - die hard, especially bad ones. Once a system is in place and we need not spend much energy maintaining it, we become quite lazy, leaning toward what is safe and familiar. The transition is never pleasant.

Yet, if we march toward the new state with confidence and look toward the good future, the transition will be easy, too. If, however, the transition is difficult and foreboding, and we do not see the future, our situation will truly seem tragic.

Therefore, first we must examine whether our situation is really tragic, and are we facing such catastrophes as wars, revolutions, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and other eco-traumas that scientists are predicting. The alternative is that all these "traumas" are but the birth of a new, still latent order of our life, and all the tension and helplessness we are experiencing is because we must be born into a new form.

Think of a fetus growing in its mother's womb. It is lying in its protected shelter when a very unpleasant process begins to unfold toward the birth. Both mother and fetus experience great stress, accumulating pressure, to the point that they cannot bear each other and the fetus must come out. Translated into our emotions, it is as though the fetus hates being inside of her while she, seemingly, neither wishes nor can keep it inside any longer.

Then, by mutual rejection, birth occurs, and the baby is born into a new, beautiful world, greeted as one who has been rewarded with a new life on a new level. Where there were once a few ounces of flesh, growing within another organism, a human has now emerged. It is still small, incapable of perceiving its surroundings, but it is already the start of a new life.

This is very similar to the situations we are going through, which is why our situation is like labor pangs, emerging into a brand new world.

References

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind."

"We as humankind have reached a peak stage in our development, and we cannot continue existing according to the principles we previously designed. Even though we have no idea what to do next, this doesn't mean that there is no general plan for our development. Nature operates its own program that impacts us, forcing us to be born through crises, disasters, epidemics, and wars. After this birth, the child continues to develop, attaining a totally different world outside of the womb."

"If there is something wrong, then it must be fixed. Such an outlook offers a hope of renewed progress. It asserts that scientific advance and technological development are not at an end, but could be starting a new period of explosive growth."

"This isn't just a crisis, it's actually an opportunity, this is probably the first moment in the last couple of hundred years that we've had, to rebuild our society and our economy on principles that serve humanity, instead of killing life."

Engage Yourself

Question 5: Please prepare yourself to focus on the below video clip. (this link, if needed, will start the video from 05:47 and you should watch until 06:30). This is an excerpt from an interview with Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris. Here she describes the cyclical, biological process of unity to individuation, and how the transition between the two is always a crisis. Today, according to Sahtouris, mankind is at that transition point.

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"Humans, within this planet now, are the newest experience of the Universe in what biologically always seems to come down to cycles of unity to individuation, through which arises conflict. Negotiations happen. Cooperation is arrived at. And we go to unity again at the next higher level. And that's why the story of evolution is so important today, to help us understand where humanity is, and what is our next step. And we're right between that 'competition to cooperation' phase."

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What are your thoughts about this?

Question 4: Please read the following quote from Albert Einstein:

"Let’s not pretend that things will change if we keep doing the same things. A crisis can be a real blessing to any person, to any nation. For all crises bring progress. Creativity is born from anguish, just like the day is born from the dark night. It’s in crisis that inventiveness is born, as well as discoveries made, and big strategies."

Can you think of a situation in life that demonstrates Einstein's quote?

Question 3: Do you see the crises happening in all areas of human life as coincidences? Do you see a pattern for us to learn from? (choose the closest answer to your opinion)

I don’t know.

The crises reflect certain laws that we should learn from.

There are many crises, but they’re not necessarily connected.

What “global crisis”? Human history is full of catastrophes, and our time is no different.

Question 2: The starting point of this course is that the shift from a bad state to a good one takes place precisely at the darkest moment. Therefore, a correct attitude to the global crisis will allow us to become leaders of change and ground breakers for the best benefit of all humanity.

Which of the following sentences best describes your attitude to this?

I think it’s completely unrealistic.

I think so too, but I do not understand how the shift will take place.

I would like to believe this is true, but reality does not allow me to.

It’s always darkest just before dawn. And I can already see the first light shining.

Exercise Your Mind and Heart

Question 1: Please watch the video clip below and answer the following question: What do you think makes humanity's current situation similar to a state of birth? [video clip link here, if needed]

Both 1 and 2 make sense to me.

I don’t see how the situation we are in is similar to a state of birth.

The present crises create worldwide pressures, similar to labor pains.

We are before the entrance to a new world, unknown to us and very different from what we are familiar with.

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